Rep. J.R. Hoell for Merrimack 23 (Bow & Dunbarton)

Rep. Hoell, an engineer by trade who just finished his first term in the House, served on the House Education Committee and passed two instrumental bills that helped restore rights for parents who home educate their children.

Rep. Hoell sponsored HB 542, which allows parents with children in a public school to remove their children from class when they object to the material being taught. While groundbreaking, the new law requires parents to come up with and pay for programming to replace the objectionable material, a compromise that helped the bill succeed. Rep. Hoell has said he wants to work to advance parental choice further in this area.

Additionally, Rep. Hoell sponsored HB 1571, which amended the educational evaluation for home-educated children by prohibiting required appraisals performed by a local public school teacher from being reported to or tracked by the State Department of Education. The bill also changed the law so that the state can no longer end a home education program. Rep. Hoell often writes on Facebook about similar changes he’ll pursue upon re-election that will further improve home education freedom.

Upon re-election, Rep. Hoell has publicly explained how he intends to go after the Business Enterprise Tax, which is nothing other than an income tax on New Hampshire businesses. To improve the environment for small businesses, Rep. Hoell has said he would introduce a bill to reduce the BET to 1999 levels.

Additionally, Rep. Hoell was exceptionally active on trying to pass a constitutional amendment to protect parental rights during the past session, and he has talked about fighting for the amendment again upon re-election. The amendment (CACR 9 in 2011 and CACR 31 in 2012), sponsored by Rep. Dan Itse, very simply states: “Parents have the natural right to control the health, education, and welfare of their children.”